C and O / Chessie in St Thomas, Ontario

St. Thomas was a major railway hub for American roads with business from Detroit-Buffalo across the shorter, grade free, straight shot North shore of Lake Erie through Southern Ontario.

The New York Central's Canada Southern was the big dog but Wabash was a significant player as was the Pete Marquette. The C&O absorbed the Pere Marquette after WWII. They owned their own rails Detroit to St. Thomas with trackage rights onward to Buffalo. For a brief time later in the 80's and early 90's you could see Seaboard units rumbling through the Chatham area.

Of course, nothing is left of the C&O presence. As if it didn't happen.

Local efforts to save this roundhouse for a rail museum failed. A developer took over property and promptly got in over his head, gave up and went away. Contamination killed the project. All was demolished and still sits vacant decades later.